The Lost Ark and The Greatest Story Ever Told

The Lost Ark and The Greatest Story Ever Told

Lemba Elder

Update: There will be a History Channel special on this: “Quest for the Lost Ark” on March 2, 2008 at 8pm.

I was reading a recent article in Time magazine and had to double check that I was reading an article in the “Health & Science” section instead of a book review of the most recent Dan Brown novel. The article can be found here:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1715337,00.html

Since this generation suffers from a mass case of ADD, let me use bullets to demonstrate how Tudor Parfitt, a professor at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, reveals the Ark to be a multipurpose carry-all for religious relics which doubles conveniently in times of war for a cannon. Yes, you read correctly.

  • A Southern African tribe called the Lemba claimed to be a lost tribe of Israel. (They practice circumcision and call meetings using a rams’ horn.) No one believed them until it was discovered that the Lemba priestly cast had the same frequency of a specific marker to the Jewish priestly cast (cohens).
  • The Lemba also claim to be custodians of the Ark of the Covenant. Based on the now verified first claim, Parfitt began to investigate this second claim.
  • The Lemba call Ark the ngoma lungundu.
    • The ngoma,according to the Lemba, was near-divine, used to store ritual objects, and borne on poles inserted into rings. It was too holy to touch the ground or to be touched by non-priests, and it emitted a ‘Fire of God’ that killed enemies and, occasionally, Lemba. A Lemba elder told Parfitt, ‘[It] came from the temple in Jerusalem. We carried it down here through Africa.'”
  • His search led him to the ancient city of Senna where Parfitt believes the Lemba and their ancestors may have converged where he uncovered several clues as to where the Ark may be today.
  • His search ended at the Harare Museum of Human Science in Zimbabwe where he found a drum like object, with remnants of the carrying rings and crossed reeds indicative of biblical origins.
  • Neither Parfitt nor the Lemba contend that this object is the original Ark of the Covenant. The object was carbon dated to 1350 ad, which is some time after Moses. However, the Lemba folklore holds that the original ngoma destroyed itself and was rebuilt upon its own ruins by the temple priests.
  • Parfitt contends that the Ark was in fact a drum which was a repository of relics and a cannon!

Don’t believe it? It’s hard to believe I admit, however, it is interesting to note that the Ark of the Covenant is brought into many Israelite battles at the head of the attacking force. Now do you put your relics at the head of an attacking force, or do you put your greatest weapon?

Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.” [Josh.2:24]

Still can’t believe it? I admit, I’m having similar trouble. Worshipping a weapon? I keep conjuring up images of “Beneath the Planet of the Apes”:

Beneath the Planet of the Apes - Worshipping a Nuclear Weapon

2 thoughts on “The Lost Ark and The Greatest Story Ever Told

  1. Does anyone have exact dimensions and material specifications of the Ngoma Lungundu drum? I’d like to make a few for my collection.

  2. i somehow agree with the above research machanism of the ark of covenant is found on exodous 25 vs 10-16.more over joshua was instructed to pass on the ark on joshua 4 vs 5,in jeremiah 3 vs 16 it is said that ………it shall not be made again whilst in psalms 138 vs 8 ……do not forsake the work of the thy hands again in the book of chronicles 15 vs 2 it is said ……no one but the levites may caary the ark of the lord…..so i am in a dilema where to believe or not but the research is pregnant with facts as a lower six art student we are having a debate on 13 may 2011 at mutare musuem with the topic that the ngoma lungundu is it a replica of the biblical ark of covernant —–juliet maraire alpha institute mutare,zimbabwe

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